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Orangutans
'capture' CSULB professor
By Ako Sakurai
On-line Forty-Niner
Since her first
encounter with the people of the forest, Nancy Briggs has
fallen in love.
Orangutans or "people of the forest" in the Malaysian
language are the only great ape of Asia and signature animal
of the tropical rainforest, said Briggs, who is a professor
in the communication department at Cal State Long Beach.
"If orangutans do good, the forest would do good,"
said Briggs. "But unfortunately, they are an endangered
species. There are about 20,000 left in the wild."
According to the Orangutan Foundation International Web site,
orangutans are considered endangered species by most wildlife
monitoring organizations and conservation groups.
"Ten thousand years ago, orangutans were found throughout
Southeast Asia ranging all the way into southern China. Their
populations probably numbered in the hundreds of thousands,"
the site report said.
Briggs first became interested in great apes when she rescued
a chimpanzee named Mr. C in the forest as charity work 25
years ago. The charity work was part of Animal Sanctuary of
Los Angeles.
Briggs took care of Mr. C for 10 years. However, since human
diseases affect orangutans, he eventually died of leukemia.
Briggs' first meeting with wild orangutans happened 20 years
ago in the tropical rainforest of Borneo.
"They were on the tree tops. They were awesome and illusive,"
she said. "They were hidden in the trees where they are
supposed to be. It was quite unlike in their captivities because
of the freedom."
They were not afraid of her, Briggs said.
"Usually, they stay away from people," she said.
"They are very sensitive to those who respect them."
Briggs and Biruté Galdikas, the renowned primatologist
and the president of Orangutan Foundation International, published
a book "Orangutan Odyssey" in 1999.
"It is a tribute to the orangutan and ecosystem,"
Briggs said.
The 144-page 10-by-10 inch book introduces orangutans and
their living environment along with 100 full color pictures.
The book became a best seller and Briggs was able to make
a donation of $25,000 to the Orangutan Foundation International.
"A lot of money is for orphan [orangutans], clinics and
foods," said Briggs. "We want to support them
in the wild life and their environment."
Orangutans are very solitary compared to other great apes
such as gorillas and chimpanzees, said Briggs. Because of
this, Briggs, Galdikas and Orangutan Foundation International
staff were able to rehabilitate about 200 orangutans back
to the wild in the last 20 years, using gentle, nurturing
methods.
Her research would include observation of how orangutans communicate
verbally and nonverbally. Also she would study "intricate
nonverbal communication patterns in addition to teaching them
signs," Briggs said.
"They are very brilliant," Briggs said. "They
would imitate almost anything they can see."
Orangutans could learn about 30 sings in one year, she said.
"Their female-child bond is very strong. Females are
very nurturing to the babies," said Briggs. "Males
are active in the trees and searching for foods. There are
over 400 kinds of foods in the forest. Occasionally, males
are looking for female partners."
Orangutans are arboreal animals and 90 percent of their day
is spent in the trees, Briggs said.
"If they have eaten, they are very lethargic, "
said Briggs. "[If they are hungry], they would
be foraging."
Many times Briggs teaches future teachers at CSULB, and the
majority of them want to learn about animals among other things,
said Briggs. Her research, writing and teaching are interrelated
with each other.
"We have to take care of the forest, animals and each
other," Briggs said.
She teaches animal communication, story telling and persuasion
in the department of communication studies at CSULB. Briggs
has been teaching on campus for 33 years.
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Courtesy
of Nancy Briggs
Nancy
Briggs holds an orangutan, an animal she has grown to absolutely
adore since her first spotting 20 years ago in the rainforest
of Borneo.
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